Info, news & debate
Greenhouses & polytunnels
Worried about fruit & veg rationing? Let’s grow our own, in our communities
Every so often something happens that punctures our sense of what’s normal. In the UK one of those events was empty shelves that used to display fruit and veg. Then supermarkets began rationing some food items.
A woodland classroom for north London – help OrganicLea make it happen!
OrganicLea are planning a woodland classroom but need your help to make it happen. Craig Bayne tells us more about how you can get involved with this fantastic opportunity to create more space for nature-based learning and food growing skills in north east London.
How to build your own aquaponics greenhouse – Part 3
In Part 3 of his how to build your own aquaponics greenhouse adventure, Root Cause Organic’s Pete Blunsdon covers the all important growing media, the plants and the fish.
How to build your own aquaponics greenhouse (Part 2)
Pete Blunsdon of Root Cause Organics continues his series of guest posts about how to build your own aquaponics greenhouse. In Part 2, he gets to grips with the all important plumbing.
How to build your own aquaponics greenhouse (Part 1)
Pete Blunsdon of Root Cause Organics, an experimental microholding in Buckinghamshire, shares the first in a series of guest posts about how he built his very own aquaponics greenhouse and how you can do the same. It’s over to Pete from here…
New no-dig, organic market garden for Manchester: how you can help
We are starting a new NO DIG MARKET GARDEN that will bring fresh organic food to Manchester. You can help by joining our crowd funder at
In praise of the wheelbarrow: low-impact transportation at its best?
Perhaps these days most commonly associated with the garden, there’s more to the humble wheelbarrow than you might think. Sophie Paterson explores its potential, past and present, as a low-impact form of transportation.
Join our new online community Living Low Impact
We’re excited to introduce our new Facebook group Living Low Impact – and you’re invited!
So you want to be a farmer? Thirteen words of wisdom from me to myself
In this post based on an original at Small Farm Future, farmer Chris Smaje relates words of wisdom curated as part of a talk he gave at the Oxford Real Farming Conference in 2016.
What to sow, plant and harvest in your polytunnel or greenhouse in September
Your tunnel or greenhouse is likely to get a little bit out of hand during this month, with most crops not being at their prime any longer. Pests and diseases are also spreading much faster than before. You have to decide which plants to clear and which ones to leave a bit longer.
A year of downshifting in Devon
Downshifting means working less, earning less and spending less and it’s what Lowimpact.org’s Sophie Paterson has spent the past year attempting to do. She shares what she’s learnt so far and why she’d encourage others to embrace downshifting too.
What to sow, plant and harvest in your polytunnel or greenhouse in August
In August there is even more bounty than in July, whether you’re growing in a polytunnel or a greenhouse. You may have produced enough courgettes and cucumbers for the whole neighbourhood. The tomatoes are made into soups and frozen and you reap the rewards for all your efforts.
Taking the pee: is urine a good fertiliser?
Many of us consider it a waste product but, in fact, is urine a good fertiliser? Scarlett Penn of WWOOF UK sets out why we should pause for thought before we flush.
A tale of two greenhouses: in praise of the solar greenhouse
Asked to describe the average greenhouse, many readers might picture a mainly glass structure. There is, however, an alternative which offers even greater growing potential across the seasons with far less energy consumption: the solar greenhouse. Particularly popular in China since the late 1970s, solar greenhouses make use of passive solar energy to retain the …
What to sow, plant and harvest in your polytunnel or greenhouse in July
Your polytunnel or greenhouse is absolutely packed and you’ll be harvesting fruits from your summer crops – the first tomato of the year is always the most anticipated and delicious. Soon you’ll have more food than you can cope with.
What to sow, plant and harvest in your polytunnel or greenhouse in June
June is one of my favourite months in the tunnel or greenhouse. The majority of crops are planted by now and the responsibility of watering your seedlings every day is nearly over. You can enjoy tending your crops and observe how they develop.
What to sow, plant and harvest in your polytunnel or greenhouse in May
May is the most exciting month in your tunnel or greenhouse. This is the time to plant out your summer crops – your tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers and basil.
Smallholding with heart: advice about getting and running a smallholding from Janet Jenkins of Cuckoo Farm
Embarking on a new life in the countryside, away from the trappings of urban existence, is a dream increasingly common to many. This week we interviewed Janet Jenkins about her and her family’s smallholding journey, putting the heart back into the land at Cuckoo Farm.
What to sow, plant and harvest in your polytunnel or greenhouse in April
April is one of the busiest months and one filled with immense responsibility. All your crops are now sown and you care for them as if they are your little babies.
Come and join us on our organic, off-grid smallholding in 2017
We are James and Sukamala, tenants at Wild Geese Acres, Greenham Reach, which is an off-grid, low-impact farming project established in north Devon by the Ecological Land Coop (ELC) – see website. http://ecologicalland.coop.